Syringe pumps, or drivers, are small infusion pumps used to gradually administer small amounts of fluid to a patient. When administering drugs (e.g. painkillers, antiemetics, etc.) syringe pumps prevent periods during which the medication levels in the blood are too high or too low, and prevent a patient from having to repeatedly take tablets or pills. Additionally, syringe pumps are effective at administering medication over many minutes or hours and often reduce errors by caretakers.
One particular use of syringe pumps is in the field of enteral feeding administration. For example, syringe pumps are especially useful for the administration of breast milk (or suitable substitutes) in the care and treatment of neonatal children. An example of a syringe pump and syringe used for neonatal enteral feeding is shown in FIG. 1, which depicts a Medfusion® brand (Model No. 3500) syringe pump. One drawback to known syringe pumps/syringes is that known pumps have a very limited range of syringe sizes (diameter, height, length, etc.) and shapes that they will receive and operate in conjunction therewith. In particular, commercially-known pumps typically accept round syringes that have a maximum volume of about 75 mL. As such, users wishing to dispense more than 75 mL of fluid in a single setting must monitor the pump and change the syringe(s) out as needed. Accordingly, it can be seen that needs exist for syringes that are compatible with known syringe pumps but have larger capacities to permit longer enteral infusion sessions.
Alternatively, enteral syringes can be used with gravity feed systems, for example, when administering nutrients and/or medications to a neonatal patient. When administering fluids to a patient via a gravity-feed system, the syringe plunger is typically removed from the syringe body to prevent a vacuum from developing inside the syringe as the fluid leaves the syringe and enters the patient. The removal of the plunger from the syringe body is often seen as a drawback to this process and requires that a user take special care in storing the plunger while the syringe is being utilized. In the past, users have strapped the plunger to the syringe body or otherwise stored the plunger on a sterile tray or other location to avoid permanently separating these components. Additionally, removing the plunger from the syringe body can expose the contents of the syringe to unwanted pathogens, dust or other foreign matter, which can be harmful to a patient. Thus, it can be seen that needs exist for an improved syringe for fluid delivery.
When administering fluids to a patient, the plunger must be removed from the syringe body to prevent a vacuum from developing inside the syringe as the fluid leaves the syringe and enters the patient. The removal of the plunger from the syringe body is often seen as a drawback to this process and requires that a user take special care in storing the plunger while the syringe is being utilized. In the past, users have strapped the plunger to the syringe body or otherwise stored the same on a sterile tray or other location to avoid permanently separating these components. Additionally, removing the plunger from the syringe body can expose the contents of the syringe to unwanted pathogens or other foreign matter, which can be harmful to a patient. Thus, it can be seen that needs exist for an enteral syringe that prevents a vacuum from developing within the syringe during use, while permitting a user to leave the plunger within the syringe body at all times during such use.
It is to the provision of improved devices and methods of fluid delivery meeting these needs and others that the present invention is primarily directed.